Between the Lines

The literal meaning of a statement, its intended meaning, and how it is understood by listeners can differ significantly. The study of how listeners infer meaning beyond the literal or semantic content of a statement is the topic of Pragmatics. This chapter explores three key pragmatic phenomena that influence communication: presuppositions, conventional implicatures, and conversational implicatures. The primary focus will be on conversational implicatures, which are pragmatic inferences guided by Grice&s;s cooperative principle and, more specifically, the Gricean maxims. Although these principles were originally conceived as implicit guidelines for interpersonal conversations, they are also highly applicable to mass communication. Advertising and product communication, in particular, often rely on consumers drawing the desired inferences beyond what is explicitly stated.